


(Valentine's) Partners In Crime

by xSophie2x



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: M/M, Past Heartbreak, Secrets, Valentine's Day, Valentine's Day the unconventional way, Valentine's Day with stranger
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-26
Updated: 2021-02-17
Packaged: 2021-03-13 03:53:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,216
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29520456
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xSophie2x/pseuds/xSophie2x
Summary: Valentine's Day is the day for romance, and doing something nice for your loved ones.Unfortunately, this year for Liam, he feels upset that he can't do that anymore. Valentine's Day isn't meant to be spent alone, but unfortunately it looks like that's exactly what he's gonna have to do.Or is it?The day seems to have different plans for him, plans that Liam is reluctant to take. After all, anyone would be, after being offered to spend the day together, by a stranger.No matter how good-looking that stranger may be.
Relationships: Liam Dunbar/Theo Raeken
Comments: 6
Kudos: 5





	(Valentine's) Partners In Crime

**Author's Note:**

> I wasn't gonna post it like this, it was supposed to be one long fic. But knowing me... It just got longer and so I decided to do it like this.   
> But! I hope you enjoy! :)

_14/02/2021_

_10.15_

Liam huffed, sitting on a bench on main street alone, where he sipped on his vanilla milkshake as he watched the people go by gruffly.

He liked to people watch normally, really he did, but today, there was something different. Wherever he looked, people walking by left and right in front of him, they mostly consisted of couples, holding each other’s hands, swinging in between them, sharing candy hearts that they fed to their spouse as they giggled in response, or even guys walking off alone, no doubt going to visit their significant other, with a bouquet of red roses clutched tightly in their hands.

It was infuriating.

Liam sighed, tossing his empty milkshake cup in the trash can next to the bench. Just because Liam didn’t have anyone to spend his Valentine’s Day with anymore, just because Hayden had decided that her ‘friend from work’ was better than Liam, didn’t mean he had to sit here all by himself and watch other people be sickeningly happy, in a way that he couldn’t be anymore.

With another sigh uncontrollably spilling past his lips, out there before he could stop it and causing people to throw a glance in his direction, he reached out and pulled out his phone from his pocket, searching the right number through his contact list. He listened to the familiar sound of it ringing, going over, and it took a minute before it was answered. But when it did, Liam instantly knew that he’d interrupted by the hasty way the phone was picked up, the creaking sound on the other end and the hurried way with which he was greeted, wanting to get this over with as soon as possible. ‘Hello?’

“Mason…” Liam whined, leaning his head back against the bench, beyond the point of caring who stared at him for it. “Get me out of here.”

“Liam?”

“No, the tooth fairy. Yes, who else!?” Liam pressed out in response, but he couldn’t even laugh at his own joke, that was how much he wished he was anywhere else right now. What was worse, was that Mason didn’t seem to think it was funny either.

It stayed silent on the other end of the line for a moment, a rustling sound letting Liam know that Mason was saying something to someone else, probably explaining the situation, and covering the line with his hand, before he was back and his voice sounded in Liam’s ear again.

“Where are you?”

“Downtown. Main street.” Liam muttered, looking down kicking away a pebble with his foot.

“Liam…” Mason sighed, exasperated, and Liam could picture him rubbing a hand over his face tiredly, like he always did in this kind of situation. “Then why would you even go there?”

Really, it was the worst place to be, recently single, on Valentine’s Day, and they both knew it. It was full off couples, shopping and having fun, preparing for their dates at night, and the shops had their big displays full of candy hearts, chocolates, teddy bears, Valentine’s Day cards and romantic movies put out on show, for the whole world to see. There was no escaping it, frankly Mason didn’t understand why Liam would put himself through this, and, as he thought about it, Liam wondered why he liked to torture himself so as well.

“How did you get there? Can you go home?” Mason asked, patiently, keeping an open mind for whatever Liam would answer, keeping his options open in case Liam would be in need of help after all. Something for which Liam was all too grateful. Sometimes he truly didn’t know how he would survive without his best friend.

“I took a walk,” Liam murmured, explaining it and getting his words across as if Mason was the dumb one for not getting that immediately, a silent _duh_ sounding in his words, and suddenly, he desperately wished he had a second vanilla milkshake.

Truthfully, though, Liam felt like he was going insane between the same four walls all day, he was sick of it, he just needed to get out and get fresh air. 

“Can you not just come and pick me up!?” Liam asked, suddenly brightly, his voice childlike hopefully, though he knew, darkly, in the back of his mind that the answer might not be the positive one he was hoping for. “I promise, you won’t even notice that I’m there!”

As he said it, Mason snorted, sighing pinching his nose, somehow wondering if that’d be true. “Liam. I’m gonna have lunch and going to see a movie with Corey tonight. I told you.”

“I could just come with you guys!”

“Really?” Mason deadpanned on the other end, the dry tone and his disbelief sounding through his voice at the words. “You would rather third-wheel your friends who are a couple than, I don’t know, try and make your Valentine’s Day into something interesting by the end of the night after all!? Corey offered to set you up with one of his friends. That still stands, should you need to be reminded.”

The last part of his comment was said seriously, but Liam could feel dread starting to gather in his stomach, wanting to turn away simply at the thought of it. That just wasn’t for him, the simple, meaningless, hook-up. At least not right after being broken up with, so soon.

Liam sighed, leaning his head back closing his eyes for a moment. “No…” he said into the telephone, feeling the more serious direction their conversation went into, despite his inner protest since it meant he would have to face the issues haunting him ever since he found Hayden and her ‘work friend’ in their shared apartment and not stuffing them way down deep under layers of jokes, but going along with it regardless. “No, thank you,” opening his eyes again and looking around the street, around the people still walking there.

“Alright,” Mason replied, his voice a world of acceptance and patience. “It’s your call,” and Liam breathed, a wave of gratitude once again washing over him and hitting him hard. He still wasn’t over the fact that Mason’s first thought was to worry about him and wanting to make _his_ day better when he’d brought up that he could come with them to the movies, when of course Mason wanted a quiet and private date with Corey. Liam couldn’t really take that from him, didn’t even really want to trail along with them when it was spelled out for him what that would look like, and he truly didn’t deserve Mason.

“So, are you alright? Are you sure?” Mason asked next, interrupting Liam’s thoughts from the moment of silence, and he tuned back into the conversation. He didn’t miss what Mason had meant by the question.

He sighed, nodding brushing a hand through his hair, “Yeah”, thinking of what he was gonna do the rest of the day instead. He was probably just gonna go home and change into his pajamas, crawl under a blanket on the couch and watch an action movie, close the curtains and shut the world with its crappy romance ideas out. Or he could just walk around the shops, in and out of them, and make fun of its stupid romance cards and teddy bears in his mind on his own. Mason wouldn’t say it was healthy, but right then, Liam couldn’t really care less. Suddenly, he felt pumped, excited for something, which was like the first time since feeling amazingly numb since Hayden, and so he welcomed it. “Yeah, I’ll be fine,” strangely feeling like it was true, and this day would go by, too.

“You don’t want me come pick you up anymore then? Say the word and I can…”

“Nah, I’ll walk back,” Liam cut him off, pressing out a smile. He knew Mason didn’t really want to anyway, his date with Corey a more pressing matter right then, and the time for them to leave getting closer. “Thank you though,” and for the first time, he felt a little bit lighter, knowing what he was gonna do.

Mason stayed silent for a moment longer on the other end of the line, Liam knew he was likely thinking about whether he was being truthful and he could believe him, and a small, barely there smile curled at his lips, before his best friend breathed and replied. “Alright, you sound sure enough… But you better be back in your apartment by tonight, and I’ll come check, or else, I swear to God…!”

Liam snorted, feeling lighter, happy at having the conversation steered away from him and how he was feeling, not wanting to talk about it, and he chuckled. “Alright, alright,” he gave in, laughing, holding his hand up in surrender even where Mason couldn’t see it, a little out of breath. “I promise!”

“Good,” Mason answered on the other end of the line, sarcastically, “Thanks for making me feel good for not having to worry about you.”

At that, Liam couldn’t help but feel a bit bad. He knew Mason had been worried about him, and had been taking care of him, the entire time he and Hayden had broken up. But that needed to stop, he could take care of himself, and not saddle his best friend up with his shit when he wanted to go out with his boyfriend, on a day like today. He didn’t deserve that. He he was gonna spend today doing whatever he liked most, whatever he felt like.

“Hey, Mase?” he asked, quietly, knowing that Mason would be straining his ears and listening for him to talk already. “Thanks,” murmuring it quietly with racing heart into the phone, hoping that Mason would hear how sincere he was, and how much he meant it. Mason might not be here in person, or have come here to pick him up, but talking to him had made him feel better regardless. He knew Mason knew that.

“No problem, buddy, no problem,” Mason responded sincerely, and Liam could hear the smile in his voice. “Are you gonna be alright?”

“Yeah. Yeah,” Liam breathed, the uncertainty whether he would hanging unspoken between them. He forced a grin on his lips, a spark, feeling happy for Mason, starting in his chest, a chuckle spilling over his lips. “Now go. Get ready. I’m gonna hang up, I’m not gonna sit here and keep you from going on your date with Corey.”

Mason laughed, on the other end of the line. “Thanks Li! You’re the best,” and Liam laughed with him in response, though it was only half-hearted and the comment left his heart empty a little bit, as it was really him who wouldn’t know where he was without Mason. “I’ll let you know how it went!” and the hopeful excitement in his voice left Liam’s heart aching a bit. Mason deserved this, all of this and more. But who was he kidding? This was not how he’d envisioned he’d spent his Valentine’s Day, and this was not what he wanted. He’d had Hayden’s favorite candy all ready, the candy hearts, and now it just went all for nothing.

“You do that. Can’t wait.” he chuckled, through the other end of the line. “Bye Mase.”

“By Li,” came the tinny, quiet, sincere and sudden serious response, and Liam smiled, before he hang up, pressing the red button, and the line went dead.

With that, Liam stayed seated on the bench for a little while longer, lost in thought, the phone call and the afternoon that he found Hayden in bed with her colleague a week and a half ago still playing in his mind, before he stood up and walked a little to the right on main street, and went into the little bookstore that sold office and school supplies alike. Walking over to the card section.

*****

_10.35_

Liam couldn’t help but let out a little huff, staring over at the wall, gaze wandering over the rows and rows of Valentine’s Day cards, taking some from the shelves and turning them over, checking them out from the back and putting them back with a skeptical huff, wondering who the hell would even buy this and why it was supposed to be appealing to people. Pink floating hearts, roses, little teddy bears hugging, two puppies telling each other _I woof you,_ all the cards looked just the same, and for as many options as there were, you actually had surprisingly few choice.

Liam raised his eyebrows, feeling like a weight had fallen off his shoulders, feeling like he was actually looking at the cards, without the rose-colored glasses for the first time ever, without the mindset of someone buying it for someone else, and he could see the absolute mundane side of it. He had actually bought a card for Hayden, one with a teddy bear handing a red heart to another bear, but it now was buried deeply in his closet, crumpled up and useless. And Liam wanted to scoff at the Valentine’s Day cards, at how absolutely generic and meaningless they were, given to another person in a five-second moment, picked up at the store as an afterthought to show them that, hey, I thought of you after all.

He wanted to yell at something, wanted to tell someone not to buy this stuff and roll his eyes at them. When he did though, rolling his eyes at the cards and turning to leave, he wasn’t expecting to bump into something solid, someone standing in his way where he had noticed the figure to his right a little too late, checking out the cards, and a groan spilled past his lips. He was met with a sore elbow, a glare from the other man shot in his direction and a huff from the guy escaping his mouth, snarling in a deep, raspy voice: “Shit! Watch out where you’re going!”

“Where I’m going!?” Liam exclaimed dumbfounded in response, a hiss escaping his lips at the collision, and muttering: “Where did you even come from? Fall from the sky or something? I swear you weren’t here a minute ago.” Liam grumbled under his breath, rubbing his elbow with a frown, looking up, but he was met by the greenest eyes, like grass on a summer’s day, that he had ever seen, unexpectedly, and a guy that could only be described as ‘good looking’ stood before him. He had a slight stubble around his face and an irritated look in his eyes, and Liam was rendered speechless, his mouth dry and his head empty of anything he could still say.

_What the fuck_ , was the first thought that spun around his head. _How did eyes ever even come to be that green, was that even possible?_

“I didn’t come from anywhere,” the man said coolly, interrupting Liam’s thoughts, his arms crossed and his head tilted, considering him. “I’ve been here all along, it’s not my fault you’re not using your eyes to see.”

He noticed Liam’s gaze on him, and his eyebrows raised, to his hairline. “What? Am I wearing something of yours?”

That was when Liam realized he was still staring, and a cough escaped his lips, masked by a chuckle, clearing his throat, his skin starting to burn under the man’s scrutinizing, expectant gaze. “No! No, I was just… Cards,” he pressed out, the answer seeming the best one in his mind right then, because what else would a person be doing in a shop in front of the card shelves, reaching out grabbing a card from the shelves blindly. Upon further inspection, though, Liam noticed that it was the _I woof you_ card, and he wished he could facepalm himself, able to just barely hold back the groan about to escape his lips.

How did he always end up in situations like this!?

The man across from him just smirked though, looking up from the card he held awkwardly in his hands with raised eyebrows, to him. “Alright,” he said, and Liam didn’t miss the sudden shift in the man’s demeanor, his irritation gone, having made way for amusement. “Gonna bring that to your girlfriend now then, I assume? Give her a nice Valentine’s Day?”

Liam couldn’t help it, his face falling, the comment hurting a bit and making his heart ache sharply, longing for something that wasn’t his to have anymore, and shooting the stranger a faint glare, though he couldn’t fault him for asking, couldn’t fault him for not knowing what had taken place in his last relationship, clearly. “No, I’m just… I’m just gonna…” Liam gritted his teeth, feeling his cheeks burn, and he wished he could just come up with a normal, sensible answer soon, like any other person. “I’m gonna send this to my best friend.”

Liam wished he could slap himself. _His best friend? Who says that? Why would he do that? Why not just make up the fact that he still had a girlfriend?_ This guy would never be the wiser.

Liam could see the quick look of surprise flashing over the man’s face as he looked up, the look of being taken aback, but he collected himself quickly again.

“Cute,” the man remarked, his smirk back in place like it had never left, his amusement still clear on his face, and Liam bit his lip. “Do what you want I guess, do what makes you happy, don’t let me stop you.”

The corners of Liam’s mouth pulled down unhappily, looking from the card in his hands that he didn’t know what to do with, back to the man in front of him. “I wasn’t aware that I needed your permission for that,” he shot back, sounding more sure of himself than he actually felt, shuffling on his feet. “But I will. I’m gonna… Pay for this now.” Awkwardly, he held the card up, the stranger huffing out a laugh, and Liam pushed past him. Walking towards the cash register, he felt the man’s eyes burn in the back of his head for a moment longer before he looked away.

After waiting in line, Liam paid hurriedly, taking his change and the card from the counter before he looked over, curious for the stranger and his sudden mood swing, but the man was gone, nowhere to be seen.

He sighed, shaking his head still feeling the strangeness that had washed over him from that talk, and with that, he walked out, his card that he knew he probably wasn’t gonna do anything with still tucked in his hand, stuffing it in his bag. And as he walked, a sigh escaping his lips thinking of the exchange, he thought it was probably one of the strangest first interactions he’d had with a stranger yet.

*****

_10.55_

Liam sighed, stopping in front of the snack bar and dropping his hand by his side defeatedly, where he had bought his vanilla milkshake the first time around. Thoughts of getting another vanilla milkshake had plagued his mind ever since his phone call with Mason, and now the need for it had grown too strong. With a groan, feeling angry with himself for giving in, Liam pushed the door open resolutely and stepped inside.

The snack bar wasn’t the most inviting one he had ever been in, it didn’t look like it was meant for sitting down, despite its wooden tables and brown booths. The big bright fluorescent lights from the ceiling didn’t give off the most warm, welcoming feeling, nor did how small the café actually was, but for once, Liam didn’t care. He wasn’t here for a sit-down snack anyway, he was merely here to pick up the thing he had been craving since almost an hour ago; a second vanilla milkshake.

With a sigh he stepped up to the line, getting in the back of the line watching people before him buying all sorts of things, from slush puppies to a coffee or a simple sandwich, until it was his turn and he placed his order for a vanilla shake. He was glad it hadn’t been too busy, the line wasn’t long, and so he didn’t have to wait too long.

When he placed his order, he was quick to do so and to receive it, placing his money on the counter and grabbing his change and vanilla milkshake when it was ready to go, and he turned, making his way for the exit to walk outside. When he did though, looking down absent-mindedly concentrated on his phone and his shake, he could feel himself colliding into someone. Almost spilling his shake, pulling the cup back with a start, his first thought was _God, not again_ , and he heard a deep, raspy voice snarling: “Shit, watch out where you’re go…” before the stranger’s tone changed and he cut himself off.

Liam’s head snapped up, looking up. Right into the bright green eyes of the handsome stranger he had bumped into earlier, at the bookstore, the man smirking down at him amusedly and brushing a hand through his wind-tousled hair as he said: “Oh. Hi there. Careful now. We can’t keep meeting like this.”

Liam was speechless. His mouth dry as he thought, _then why do we seem to keep doing so,_ his cup still clutched tightly in his hand where they stood in the doorway, him trying to get out and the stranger trying to get in, staring up at him. It was only once the fog in his head had somewhat cleared away again, that he spoke up, and he thought of what to say.

“You’re in my way.”

“And you’re in mine. So I guess we’re even.” The man chuckled, amused, stuffing his hands in his pockets. Why did Liam feel the man was laughing at him all the time? He didn’t like the way the man seemed to be doing that the whole time. “Think there’s only one thing we can do about that.”

And before Liam could catch up to what the man was probably talking about, he continued, “There we go”, placing his hands on Liam’s shoulders and turning them around, shuffling them so that Liam was the one outside, standing outside the shop, and he himself was standing inside.

Liam was dumbfounded. The only thing he got from that, was he would never, or would never dare to, interact with strangers the way this guy seemed to do. He didn’t know what it was with this dude’s attitude.

“Congrats,” Liam uttered sarcastically, stuffing his free hand inside his pocket. “You really have managed it. I’m outside, you’re inside. Anything else I should be prepared for? What’re you gonna do now?”

The man chuckled, huffing out a laugh and flashing him a grin. “Now, I’m gonna get a coffee,” he responded, seemingly satisfied. “It’s warm inside, and I hear they’re good here.”

“At least you seem to have your news sources in check,” Liam decided to joke along, for the first time, the beginning of a smile tugging at his lips. “If you don’t compare it to coffee from a nice, stand-alone coffee shop that is, at least.”

The stranger let out a chuckle, pushing against the door a little more. “I’ll keep that as advice for next time. But right now I’m here, so…"

“Yeah of course,” Liam could feel his smile grow a little bit wider, as he could understand that. “Have a nice coffee then.”

“Thank you. And you a nice milkshake,” the guy responded with a small laugh.

Liam held his cup up in response, smiling, and took a step back as they were still standing in the doorway and blocking the path. The stranger gave him a nod, eyes bright, before Liam watched him disappear inside and the door fall shut behind him. Then he turned, bringing the cup to his mouth and taking a sip, as he shook his head walking further into main street. He was gonna go on a walk some more, clearing his head in the cold February air, instead of sitting at home locked up between four walls.

What a strange dude, he thought, keeping on bumping into him everywhere. Though Liam could see, clearly now, that the dude wasn’t so bad. And as far as the weirdness went, the guy probably thought the same thing about him.

*****

_11.20_

Liam sighed, wishing he wasn’t doing this already as he pushed open the door to the candy store, and a wave of the warm air inside blew in his face. It was already a blessing, a chance to shield himself from the cold of February, along with the long rows of delicious candies waiting for him and making his stomach rumble.

He had been taking a walk, in the cold wind blowing around his head, just like he had done before he ended up in main street, walked around town before he decided he was allowed a break and came into the candy store.

Liam knew it wasn’t the best thing, or the most healthy, feeding himself on sweets on his own, but damnit, if couples could eat chocolate on this day, then so could he!

Looking around, watching the shelves with candies, sweets, and Valentine’s Day discounted heart-shaped boxes of chocolates, he made his way over to one of the boxes, and grabbed it off the shelf. Next to him, from the corner of his eye, he could see a couple reaching for one eyeing him strangely, and he shot them a look. Who was to say only couples were allowed those boxes?

Hungrily, Liam grabbed a box of the shelves, holding it tightly walking further along the different options, to watch over them. Truth be told, most candies looked good, and though he knew he shouldn’t take too many, it wasn’t exactly healthy, he couldn’t resist grabbing another heart-shaped chocolate box and a small bag of candy hearts to go along with them.

Stepping back, though, turning on his way to the counter to pay and leave, he bumped into something solid with his back before he could get the chance, jumping and turning to what he’d collided into.

When he did though, seeing who it was and looking into the handsome stranger’s eyes, Liam felt shock and a quick fleeting wave of irritation wash over him. Suddenly he was painfully aware of all the chocolate-y goods in his arms, wanting to hide them all under his jacket if he could and his cheeks burnt.

“You again!? I swear it’s like you appear out of thin air! Can’t you just let a guy buy his pity chocolates in peace?” Liam swallowed, too late for him to take back his remark when the guy’s eyes lightened up.

“Pity-chocolates?” the guy asked in response, a smirk starting on his face like Liam was afraid of. “I would ask questions, if I wasn’t too scared to know the answer. It’s charming though, really. You really know how to intrigue a guy.”

“Great. My mission in life,” Liam pressed out, muttering under his breath sarcastically as he walked past the guy, knocking his shoulder into his as he did so. Though, by the way he heard a snort behind him, he gathered the guy heard him anyway.

Great.

“So are you gonna eat all of those by yourself?” the guy asked him from behind, as Liam stepped up to the counter, and he couldn’t stop the sigh escaping his lips, rolling his eyes and looking over his shoulder.

“That’s none of your business,” Liam replied shortly, handing the cashier his change and looking over beside him, where the other guy was leaning against the counter.

“I’ll take that as a yes,” he muttered, looking away, out of the door and tapping his finger against his chin in thought. Liam furrowed his brows, narrowing his eyes studying him, before the cashier gave him his bought candy back and he was cut from his thoughts with a start.

“Thank you,” he took them from the cashier, gladly accepting the bag his candies came in and offering the man behind the counter a smile. With that he turned, sighing, looking the stranger next to him up and down.

“I’m gonna go,” he said, nodding towards the door. “So…”

“Right! Of course,” the man said, pushing himself off of the counter and walking ahead of Liam to the door, holding it open for him. Liam frowned, shooting him a look, but stepping outside before him anyway.

Outside, he stood still, hovering in front of the door waiting for the guy to do so as well. Wordlessly, they stood in front of each other, looking over at each other, before the switch clicked and Liam’s brain started working again, the thick fog in his head fading away, and he could think of what to say.

“Right. Well, I’m gonna go… It was fun bumping into you, but… Can’t leave my chocolates all alone. So… Good luck to you, this Valentine’s Day.”

“Right… Good luck to you as well, with your chocolates,” the guy responded, and his comment managed to pull a chuckle out of Liam. He bounced on his feet once more, before he turned and walked off into the direction of the bus stop, not feeling like walking all the way home the same way he got here anymore.

That was, at least, until he noticed that the other guy was walking the same way with him, trailing after him in the same direction slowly, and a frown made its way onto Liam’s face.

Well then.

Today clearly had different plans for him.

*****

_11.30_

When their paths crossed for the fourth time, Liam decided that this was getting ridiculous. Having said goodbye and making their way to where they needed to go, it only seemed like it was bound to happen when the guy followed him, on his way to the bus stop. And Liam never knew a more awkward thing than that in his life.

“Still stalking me, I see?” he asked, jokingly, when he didn’t know what else to say, with his eyebrows raised skeptically, as he turned towards the stranger.

“Well, contrary to popular belief around here,” the other man replied smugly, shooting Liam a pointed look and it wasn’t a mystery to Liam that the man was talking about him, and he sighed, rolling his eyes jokingly. “Going in the same direction isn’t actually stalking. So no. Though I will admit it’s rather a coincidence. Besides, I could ask you the same question.”

“I’m walking in front of you,” Liam pointed out, a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips as he felt smug at his answer, feeling an understanding of what the stranger thought when he gave a quick answer. “So you really can’t.”

His comment pulled a soft chuckle from the other man, spilling over his lips, before his demeanor shifted and a more serious look cast its shadow over his face. He shot Liam a curious glance, all previous traces of humor gone from his face. “Where are you even going anyway?”

Liam sighed, biting down on his lip and looking away, towards the street stretching out before them before looking back at the other. “To the bus stop. Home,” he replied quietly, accepting the more serious direction their conversation went into, and a soft sigh escaped him, wistfully. He wished he didn’t have to go back. He wished he didn’t have to sit at home alone, on his own with his thoughts, trapped in between four walls. Anything was better than that.

“No offense,” the guy next to him cut him off, interrupting his thoughts startling him, and Liam looked over at him. “But you kind of look like you don’t really wanna go there.”

Liam bit his lip at that, feeling his eyes darkening, feeling his chest constrict tightly as he stared over at the guy, and the stranger’s mouth dropped open, eyes widening in shock. “I-If it’s okay to ask, of course!”

Liam looked him up and down. A dark feeling flooding through him, filling him. For a moment, he wanted to tell him no, it wasn’t okay to ask. But then he reminded himself that it didn’t mean anything, he should at least be kind, this stranger didn’t know what was going on, and of course it was okay to ask.

He sighed, staying silent for a moment and not meeting the stranger’s eyes, brushing a hand through his hair tiredly as a feeling of defeat and acceptance of the question washed over him, flooding through him.

“I don’t, really,” he pressed out, the words spilling out along with a sigh, and the stranger, or _‘green eyes’_ , as Liam had silently started to call him in his mind, shot him a curious look. A silent question written clearly in his eyes.

“It’s a long story,” Liam sighed, wanting to flinch at the defeat sounding through his voice, not feeling to get into it right then if the growing hole inside his chest was anything to go by, looking away and not meeting the stranger’s eyes. He skipped over it, simply the thought of talking to someone he didn’t know about it making him want to run away, and he didn’t have it in him. Didn’t have the strength for it. “But I’ve been walking around town for an hour just because I’d rather do anything else than that,” he pressed out instead, pushing the words past his lips, leaving a bitter taste in his mouth.

It stayed silent for a moment, and for that same moment, Liam thought the stranger had walked away, so quiet was it next to him right then. Not even a perfect stranger would wanna hear about the misery he found himself in, unexpectedly.

Looking aside, though, he found him still standing there, a serious look on his gloomy face as he bit his lip, walking beside him with a thoughtful look on his face, his hands stuffed in his pockets as he was lost in thought.

Liam worried what words might come out of his mouth next.

“So don’t,” was what green eyes settled on then, the words simply spilling over his lips.

“What?” Liam’s head snapped up, looking back towards him shocked.

As the guy stopped walking, so did Liam, watching with a searching gaze as the man turned towards him. A tentative smirk on his face, just curler at the corner of his lips, as if wanting to see Liam’s reaction, testing the waters, and Liam wasn’t sure he wanted to know. A faint frown formed on his face, studying him, and a soft sigh escaped green eyes’ lips, continuing. “Don’t go home. As it is, I don’t particularly want to go home either,” he sighed, pressing the words out, looking away as a grim look had formed on his face, his eyes darkened.

Liam frowned, a hundred questions rose in Liam’s mind at the expression, but he kept his mouth shut, his lips pressed firmly together, to keep them from tumbling out. The stranger hadn’t asked him any questions either, and he’d appreciated that greatly, so of course he wanted to return the favor. Didn’t want to touch upon any subject someone he didn’t know didn’t want to talk about.

“So let’s just not,” green eyes continued, snapping his head back to Liam and startling him from his thoughts. “They say Valentine’s Day is not meant to be spent alone, right?” The guy gestured around them, widely and sarcastically, towards the all the pink and red Valentine’s Day decorations and discounts around them, marketed towards love and couples and romance, big letters screaming to take your loved one out to an expensive restaurant or to buy them candy. Anything to be extra sweet to them, and earn money off of couples’ backs all the while, underneath all the romance. “Who gets to decide that two single strangers should be spending it alone, right!?” green eyes asked, looking over at Liam expectantly.

And Liam was dumbfounded. His eyes widened as the man looked over at him, the full knowledge of where this was going hitting him at once, the uncomfortable heavy feeling of unease creeping up on him and settling in his chest, constricting it. Unable to tear his gaze away from the other man.

“You… Want to spend Valentine’s Day together? With me?” he managed, pushing the words past his lips, once the fog inside his head had somewhat cleared away again, his thoughts had come back to him and he’d found his voice again.

“Well… Yeah,” green eyes responded, scratching his chin. “Well, not… In the obvious Valentine’s way, clearly. But…”

Liam was speechless. It was a ridiculous idea. Absurd, absolutely absurd. And the excitement for the idea, for the day like that, rose in Liam’s head, along with the danger of going with a stranger, his mom’s voice in his head telling him not to like she always had, the feelings fighting to see which one would get the upper hand. And slowly, the idea of hanging out, the idea of doing things together, of a day spent together, formed in Liam’s head, and he liked it. Made him excited and something buzz in his chest for a day full of activities, not stuck inside his head, busy doing things around town to distract him that were fun, and usually only for couples.

Still, alongside that, the idea raised just as many questions as it did excitement, the alarm bells ringing in his head keeping Liam from grabbing the guy’s wrist and going right now. Suspiciously, with his eyebrows raised skeptically and his eyes narrowed, his arms folded and his head tilted, he looked towards the guy.

“Why not,” green eyes continued, shrugging. “Together is better than alone, right? And we’ve already bumped into each other one too many times.”

Liam chewed on his lip, his arms crossed staring at the other guy, thinking and turning the idea over in his head. He couldn’t deny that he was a little bit confused, felt a little bit conflicted. On one hand, part of him was tempted to say yes, and to forget about everything for a day. Incredibly so. But another part of him, a voice in his head that sounded annoyingly like his mom and Mason alike, was screaming to _not do it! This guy’s a stranger, you don’t know him!_ And a nervous feeling, a tightness in his chest as the stranger stared him down waiting for an answer, rose up inside of him, an anxious feeling washing over him.

“We don’t even know each other,” he pointed out, shooting the stranger a pointed look and meeting his eyes, feeling his heart race in his chest still with the conflicting feelings raging inside of him. How would he know green eyes here wasn’t just gonna take him to some dark alleyway and bloodily murder him out there?

“Fair,” green eyes offered in response. “So I think it’s also fair to say I have just the same concerns that you do.” His eyes narrowed, and Liam realized he was only joking, being only half-serious. He huffed, biting his lip, knowing that that was fair for the stranger to say, and he could feel himself tipping just slightly more over the edge of giving in. He hated it, he knew better, he knew that he did and that he shouldn’t do it, and yet he couldn’t stop himself from having a face-splitting grin starting on his face, hurting his cheeks and feeling like he wanted to give in.

“I, am fucking nice,” he said, looking back over at the stranger. “You absolutely don’t have to have the same concerns about strangers that I do, because I would never, and unlike me, you should already know that you can trust me.”

“Do I now?” green eyes uttered, smirking softly, his head tilted as he studied Liam.

Liam stayed silent for a moment, staring at the other man not tearing his gaze away from his eyes, and something shifted inside of him, settling despite his efforts not to give in, and a sigh escaped his lips. He looked away, thinking and accepting the more serious direction his thoughts went into, before looking back at green eyes and meeting his stare. “But don’t you think we should at least know each other’s names or something? That might make it a little easier. I’m Li…”

“No!” the other guy cut him off, before he could finish, and Liam clamped his mouth shut in shock, surprised. “If we’re gonna do this, I think we need to set up some ground rules. No names. No phone numbers. No romance. Just one day, we’re gonna have fun and we’re not gonna think about anything, and after that, we’re never gonna see each other again. Is that a yes?”

And Liam couldn’t help it. He found the whole thing so bizarre, the idea of spending a day with a stranger, the no names thing, the way green eyes had cut him off so passionately before he could finish speaking out his name. He couldn’t help it, the words spilled over his lips before he could stop them. “Are you wanted by the police?”

And the other guy couldn’t help it, a snort spilling past his lips at Liam’s words, a laugh at his half-joke, a startled, stunned look on his face as he seemed almost impressed with it. “No! Really, just one day, with no commitment. And to make it easier, as you say, we can make up a name. So what do you say? You up for it?”

Liam hesitated, chewing his lip, staring at the man in front of him pensively, in thought. He knew the risks, the concerns, his mother had taught him all his life about going with a stranger and later, Mason’s voice had become the voice of reason in his head that he could count on quite steadily. He knew technically he hadn’t said yes yet, even though he was leaning towards the side of doing so, he could feel he was, and for that he was a little bit grateful that green eyes kept asking. But anxious as he was, the unpredictability of a day filled with unknown activities with someone he didn’t know taunting him, looming darkly over him, he was also dying to get away, desperate for a break and a day off to just not think about anything and do what he wanted. He didn’t want to go home. Didn’t want to walk to the bus stop in the blowing wind, whizzing around his ears.

And so, a choice was made. 

With a sigh, a little bite on his lip, he looked back to the other man, and gave a soft, ever so small nod, more so than anything he had ever done. “Yes.” The comment uttered hoarsely and quietly, both the words and his gesture proof of his felt shame, about what he was going to do.

A quiet chuckle, coming from the other man and spilling past his lips, had him look up, a huff escaping him as green eyes raised his chin, his arms crossed looking at Liam impressed, as if he hadn’t expected that. “Great. Awesome. Well, you can call me Kaspar then. Nice to meet you.” And with that, he held out his hand, looking from Liam towards it and back at him expectantly.

Liam sighed, already half fearing what he was getting himself into, though the buzz of excitement was clear in his chest, and he reached out, shaking ‘Kaspar’s’ hand. “Elliot. Nice to meet you.”

Kaspar chuckled, pulling his hand folding his arms, giving a nod towards the end of the main street, with an amused smile on his face. “So. Where do you want to go first?”

At that, Liam smirked, feeling once more an understanding of what went through Kaspar’s head when he did that, chuckling, and followed his gaze towards the end of main street. “I think I might actually have an idea. But first, I need to do something.”

And with that, he pulled his phone out of his pocket, scrolling through his contact list in order to search for the right one, as Kaspar watched, and waited patiently. Something for which Liam was grateful, as he put his fingers on the keyboard and typed away.

**Hulk:** _I think I have a stalker_

**Mboy:** _???_

**Hulk:** _I think there was a guy following me. But don’t worry, he’s actually quite nice. And now I have someone to spend Valentine’s Day with!_

**Mboy:** _LIAM!!??_

**Hulk:** _What?_

**Mboy:** _Don’t tell me you’re gonna spend Valentine’s Day with a stranger!!_

**Hulk:** _We bumped into each other a few times. And he’s quite nice._

**Mboy:** _You said he stalked you! Do you have any idea how stupid that sounds!!? Don’t make me worry about you on_ my _Valentine’s Day!_

**Hulk:** _I’ll be fine._

**Mboy:** _Famous last words. You realize how many people have said that, and then turned out not to be fine?_

**Hulk:** _Mase. I promise. I’ll be fine._

**Mboy:** _I don’t like the sound of this._

**Hulk:** _I know. But we’ve laid out some rules. And look, if it makes you feel any better, you can still totally break into my apartment to see if I’m there tonight._

**Mboy:** _I have a key. But if it goes any faster I will definitely take you up on that offer._

**Hulk:** _I know you would. And there are worse things I could do._

**Mboy:** _Nothing’s much worse than hanging out with a stranger for a day. But I see your point. I was just glad you went outside for once, even if it was at main street._

**Hulk:** _I know. And I’m sorry. I will be better, okay?_

**Mboy:** _No, Liam, it’s fine, really. Don’t worry about that, I get it. Just… Take care okay? And don’t do anything even more stupid._

**Hulk:** _I love how you have such faith in me. But yeah, I’ll keep that in mind. Thanks._

**Mboy:** _I’ll be there tonight. Case you wanna talk._

**Hulk:** _Thanks :)_

Looking down at the screen, Liam meant it. He was grateful for Mason, and the way he’d been there for him through Hayden’s break-up.

When the next text came through, showing on his screen, Liam chuckled.

**Mboy:** _No problem. Now go have fun with your stranger._

**Hulk:** _I will. You too, with Corey._

And looking up, towards Kaspar still patiently waiting for him, rushing over to him as he had an expectant look on his face, for the first time, Liam had the feeling he would. Enjoying himself for the day, that might really be possible.

*****

_11.47_

“…And then that’s Beacon Hills’ oldest bridge, it was built hundreds of years ago already.” Liam concluded his story, stuffing his hands in his pockets, huffing out a chuckle feeling awkward under Kaspar’s burning gaze on him. “Sorry. You probably didn’t ask for this, I just ramble away…”

“No! No,” Kaspar cut him off, with a chuckle, an amused smile tugging at his lips. “I may not have thought I wanted your little history lesson, but surprisingly, I enjoyed it.” He smirked, his light green eyes bright. “And as it is, I’m quite impressed.”

And Liam couldn’t help it, the wave of warmth that coursed through him at the comment, chuckling lowering his eyes to look down at the ground, watching where he walked. He could’ve known Kaspar wouldn’t be interested in history, not like he was anyway, but even if he wasn’t he didn’t show it, and Liam appreciated that, felt grateful for it. When he didn’t know what else to say, history was a safe option to turn to.

And after taking a walk around town, listing off most of Beacon Hills’ historic buildings that he knew about, and there weren’t a whole lot, most of them had been checked off Liam’s list. But now, walking through main street kicking away stray leaves in their path, Liam was silent, didn’t know what to follow his stories up with anymore. Luckily, Kaspar was there, filling in the silence when he didn’t know anymore.

“Come on, I have an idea. And aren’t you sick of walking as well?” the man interrupted Liam’s thoughts, as he lead him over to a bench. Sitting down near the side of the main street after a walk, especially with his grocery bag with candies, Liam thought that maybe no, he didn’t mind this either, really.

“Okay, so what do you think about those two?” Kaspar nodded towards a couple walking across the street from them, wrapped up in their own bubble of laughter, a girl dressed in red and a boy in an unzipped blue coat, their held hands swinging in between them. “Cheating? Him not living up to her Valentine’s Day expectations? An old love rekindled?”

Liam nodded, pressing his lips together, before Kaspar’s words got through to him and he tuned back into reality, startled, looking over at him. “Wait, what? What are we doing?” he asked, and Kaspar just laughed.

“Guessing how these couples would break up,” he explained, “making up stories,” and Liam could slowly feel a smile starting to tug at the corner of his lips, growing wider, and something warmed in his chest, at the idea. He would admit, it wasn’t the most conventional idea, for doing something with someone you’d just met, but then something in him told him that that was just who this guy was.

“Oh God. Okay yes.” He chuckled, leaning back against the bench and taking in the couple that Kaspar had been referring to with a grin. “I think… She had some standards too high for him a while back, and somehow, that incident finds its way back into their fights,” he said, and next to him, Kaspar snorted, turning his head towards him.

“Wow. That’s very creative.”

Liam snorted, huffing out a laugh before turning his head back towards the street. “Okay, okay!” he said, holding his hands up in defense. “What about those two then?” nodding towards two girls walking by, laughing together sharing candy hearts out of a bag with each other.

“Uhm…” Kaspar continued, rubbing over his chin. “I think brown hair over there once borrowed money from blondie and she never gave it back. It’s still a sore subject in their relationship.”

At that, Liam couldn’t help the snort spilling past his lips, leaning back feeling his shoulders relax, even in the presence of a perfect stranger. “And you’re calling my story creative!?”

And Kasper flashed him a grin, smirking, one eyebrow raised. “Hey, I’ll take that as a compliment,” he grinned, brightly, arrogantly, and Liam snorted, at the guy referring to Liam indirectly calling his story creative. He may not know the man, but it was becoming increasingly clear that confidence for him wasn’t lacking. Not that Liam minded, if anything, it was sure that would make for a day all the more interesting.

After that, their making up stories continued, for couples walking by. A girl in a purple dress with a guy in black jeans, two boys looking proud to be with each other, a middle-aged couple talking animatedly and irritatedly with each other while their dog had decided to lie down, an elderly couple shuffling by arm in arm, and finally two guys with baggy pants and matching hats. And with each one, the story got more and more outrageous. Rekindling with an ex, having had contact with them all throughout their new relationship, trying to get the other person to get rid of their dog and dumping them over being too clingy. They got more and more ridiculous. From bad off-key singing all the way through a four hour trip to Vegas or kissing with their eyes open, to literally holding their fork in their fists as they ate and having a creepy doll collection. Everything popped up in their minds, stories spilling past their lips for every couple that walked by, and by the end of it, Liam was leaned back against the bench with laughter. He’d never expected to have that much fun with a stranger, but as it was, surprisingly, Kaspar was starting to seem like the most ideal person for that, and let him let go and not think about anything that would usually weigh him down for a day.

“So,” Kaspar managed once they were both done laughing, having straightened their backs, and found their voices again. He nodded towards Liam’s grocery bag. “What do you say we eat some of that chocolate from you now, huh?”

And Liam, who hadn’t really intended to share his chocolate with anyone in the first place, thought that was an excellent idea.

*****

_12.15_

“So Kaspar, what do you do?” Liam sighed, having relaxed leaning back against the bench heavily as he turned, lazily, looking at the man beside him.

“What do I do…?” Kaspar repeated, looking back at him, eyebrows knitted together in confusion.

“Job… College… Do you study?” Liam clarified, taking a look around the street before letting his eyes end back up on Kasper again.

Kaspar squirmed, looking uncomfortable under Liam’s gaze as he looked at him, meeting his eyes. “I don’t… Do we have to talk about that? I thought we’d agreed on no commitments.”

Liam bit on his lip, his eyes wide. He was speechless. Never had he thought that Kaspar would react like that to a simple question like that, and he stared over at him pensively. A concerned feeling crept up on him, soft alarm bells ringing in the back of his mind.

“Are you sure you’re not wanted by the police? It was just a question.”

“I know,” Kaspar sighed, his voice coming out muffled as he rubbed his hands over his face, before he dropped them back into his lap and looked over at Liam. “It’s got nothing to do with you. I’m just… Feeling a bit weird, at the moment.”

Liam chewed his lip, looking him up and down trying to decide if he was honest, looking for a sign of a lie on his face. In the end, he didn’t find what he wanted and let out a sigh, defeated, as he fell back against the back of the bench.

Feeling weird… Tell him about it.

“Yeah. Well. That’s all of us, at some point.”

Kaspar stared over at him, up at him with wide eyes from where he was leaning down on the bench, pensive, before a sigh slipped past his lips and he nodded, looking away. “Yeah… Yeah. I guess it is.”

Thoughtfully, Liam looked over at him one last time, before following his lead and turning his attention back towards the main street, his arms folded. A silent agreement settled between them, they wouldn’t talk serious and personal topics were off limits. But he did feel like he got his point across, and let Kaspar wordlessly know that he wasn’t the only one dealing with things, that he had some things he would rather forget about as well.

It was good to know that that method still worked.

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know what you think! Comments make my day!  
> I hope you enjoyed! :)


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